Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Health Services

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the inclusion of Universal Health Coverage as a target in the World Health Organization report Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, published on 8 April 2016.

Baroness Verma: The UK Government welcomes the report of the World Health Organisation, which highlights the integrated and indivisible nature of all the Goals in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the role of health among them, and presents Universal Health Coverage as a target in itself and a contributor to the other health targets

Developing Countries: Health Services

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take within the World Health Organization to ensure that targets on universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services and reproductive rights are treated on an equal footing with other targets in terms of implementation, financial support, follow-up and review.

Baroness Verma: We support the World Health Assembly resolution that proposes to review, at future World Health Assemblies, the report of the Every Woman Every Child Independent Accountability Panel. The proposed accountability mechanism will review key indicators under the strategic themes of Survive, Thrive and Transform, including those on sexual and reproductive services (including for adolescents) and including rights.UK officials are engaged in developing the rights component of the accountability mechanism.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they intend to make to ensure that decisions on follow-up and review of the World Health Organization’s report Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are fully integrated into the work of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum when following-up and reviewing the United Nations 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

Baroness Verma: The UK is fully engaged in the development of the follow up and review mechanisms for the United Nations High-Level Political Forum.As these mechanisms become clearer we will promote alignment with the accountability processes for specific goals and themes in the 2030 Agenda, including the World Health Organization’s report: Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

HIV Infection

Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there will be UK ministerial attendance at the UN High Level Meeting for ending AIDS in June.

Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there will be UK ministerial attendance at the International AIDS Conference in Durban this year.

Baroness Verma: The UK government will be represented at the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on ending AIDS at the UN headquarters in New York in June 2016 and the International AIDS Conference in Durban in July. Precise attendance has still to be finalised.

Developing Countries: Education

Lord Low of Dalston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the Department for International Development is taking to reach the ambition it set out in the 2015 discussion paper Delivering quality education in protracted crises.

Baroness Verma: The UK has played a leading role in the development of Education Cannot Wait, a new fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. The fund is designed to address many of the issues identified in the 2015 discussion paper – such as improving the co-ordination and funding of education in crises, and building evidence and data – with the aim of reaching 13.6 children and young people a year living in protracted crises and emergency affected countries by 2021.The Secretary of State has recently announced a multi-year commitment of £30 million to the fund at the World Humanitarian Summit on 23rd May, as a founding donor to this important initiative.

Developing Countries: Education

Lord Low of Dalston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the Department for International Development is taking to encourage other donors to fund the Education Cannot Wait fund at its launch at the World Humanitarian Summit.

Baroness Verma: The UK is working closely with UNICEF and other partners to encourage a broad funding base to Education Cannot Wait, including funding from non-traditional donors, private sector and philanthropic organisations. This includes via UK technical support to the fund’s case for investment and other key communication and outreach products, to raise awareness of the fund with others.

Developing Countries: Education

Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that the Education Cannot Wait fund for education in emergencies will meet the objectives set by the Sustainable Development Goals of leaving no-one behind, and will focus on the most marginalised children, including girls, minority communities and children with disabilities.

Baroness Verma: The UK is committed to all children benefitting from a quality education by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 4 and over-arching principle to leave no-one behind. For these reasons, the UK has played a leading role in the development of Education Cannot Wait.A key focus for Education Cannot Wait will be on ensuring that marginalised children and young people are able to access a quality education. This includes refugees and internally displaced children, as well as children facing barriers to their education because of their gender, disability or other factors. This focus is reflected in the Fund’s indicative headline results, which commits to providing “Inclusive education [that] reaches the most marginalised children and young people in crises” with a target of “100% of supported education opportunities demonstrate increase in education for girls, disabled and those in remote locations”.The UK will continue to engage closely during Education Cannot Wait’s inception phase, to ensure that this commitment is fully reflected in its final design and results frameworks.

Developing Countries: Education

Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to support efforts to monitor the funding and transparency of the Education Cannot Wait fund for education in emergencies.

Baroness Verma: The UK has played a leading role in the development of Education Cannot Wait, a fund for education in emergencies, announcing a £30 million commitment as a founding donor at its launch at the World Humanitarian Summit on 23rd May.The UK will continue to engage closely during Education Cannot Wait’s inception phase to ensure that the final design and results framework are underpinned by a transparent monitoring and evaluation system and robust financial reporting arrangements, to ensure that the UK and other donors have strong oversight of how funds are utilised and results achieved.

Developing Countries: Education

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what priority they are giving to ensuring that children of school age, who are refugees, displaced or migrants, receive continuous education regardless of their location; and whether they will discuss this issue, and the needs of refugee children not in school, at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul.

Baroness Verma: The UK is committing to providing long-term support for education in emergencies and crises, including education to refugees and internally displaced children. A key example is the Syria region. Through the No Lost Generation Initiative, we’ve announced a further £240m for education in Jordan and Lebanon over the next four years, on top of the £115 million already provided to give every child in the region access to education. The recent London Syria conference has resulted in international pledges to get every refugee and vulnerable child in the host countries bordering Syria, into quality education by the end of the next academic year. These commitments were re-emphasised at the World Humanitarian Summit through an event on No Lost Generation: Empowering Youth Affected by the Syria Crisis.In addition, the UK has been a leading force behind Education Cannot Wait – a new fund for education in emergencies, which was launched at the World Humanitarian Summit. A key focus for the fund will be on ensuring that all children and young people are able to access a quality education including refugees and internally displaced children. The International Development Secretary announced a £30 million UK commitment to the fund, as a founding donor to this important initiative.

Palestinians: Syria

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about Palestinian refugees besieged by Government forces in Khan Eshieh near Damascus; and in particular, whether they intend to take action to press for a ceasefire to allow the evacuation of non-combatants, including women and children.

Baroness Verma: The UK is extremely concerned about the volatile situation in southern Damascus in recent weeks. We strongly condemn the indiscriminate attacks in the Khan Eshieh camp on 17 May 2016, killing five Palestinian refugees and a Syrian. We are particularly concerned by reports that the Khan Eshieh area has been placed under siege, blocking essential supplies from entering and risking the lives of thousands of civilians. We continue to call on all sides of the conflict, and their supporters, to respect and ensure respect for International Humanitarian Law and protect civilians.The UK will consider any option compliant with international law that might saves lives in Syria. We do not think it would be feasible to broker a local ceasefire in Khan Eshieh, given the parties involved in the fighting there. However, though the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), we will continue to support the fulfilment of the cessation of hostilities and full humanitarian access.The UK has given support to the UN and international NGOs since the start of the conflict to deliver aid to besieged and hard to reach areas. We will continue to use our position in the UN Security Council to push for humanitarian access across Syria. As a core member of the International Syria Support Group we agreed with other members of 11 February that humanitarian access should be opened to a number of priority areas as a first step to accelerating full and sustained access across Syria. Since then, UNRWA has delivered at least 25 convoys with multi-sectoral assistance to southern Damascus.

Developing Countries: Hepatitis

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place between the Department of Health and the Department for International Development regarding the draft Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 2016–2021.

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for International Development will support the Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 2016–2021 at the forthcoming World Health Assembly.

Baroness Verma: The UK Government welcomes the development of this strategy for preventing, diagnosing and treating viral hepatitis. DFID works very closely with the Department of Health and we have a joint delegation to the World Health Assembly.DFID supports improving the access to clean and safe water and hygiene promotion to reduce the risk of transmission of hepatitis A and E. We are the largest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which increases access to immunisation in low income countries. This includes protection against hepatitis B. The UK supports UNITAID, which is working to improve access to better diagnostics for Hepatits C and we are supporting the Clinton Health Access Initiative to reduce prices and increase access to new treatments. In addition DFID supports comprehensive harm reduction programmes and strategies through its support to the Global Fund, which help reduce transmission of both HIV and Hepatitis C.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are providing to aid agencies working in Yemen.

Baroness Verma: The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16 in response to the humanitarian crisis. UK aid is focused on the most urgent life-saving needs, and has so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis who have been affected by the conflict with food assistance, medical supplies, water, and emergency shelter.We work with partners such as UN agencies and NGOs who have good access and a strong track record of delivering and monitoring assistance in difficult and dangerous places. The security situation in Yemen is, however, impacting the ability of humanitarian organisations to access populations to deliver assistance, and to make assessments of their needs. The UK continues to urge all parties to the conflict to take all reasonable steps to facilitate rapid and safe access for humanitarian agencies to all people in need in Yemen.UK aid is also supporting the UN to co-ordinate the international humanitarian response and to facilitate the delivery of aid in Yemen including; the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Humanitarian Air Service and the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism to improve supply of essential goods into Yemen.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that aid and humanitarian help is able to gain access to Sa’ada and Hajjah.

Baroness Verma: The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16 to respond to the humanitarian crisis. UK aid is focused on the most urgent life-saving needs, and has so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis who have been affected by the conflict with food assistance, medical supplies, water, and emergency shelter. Through our support to UN agencies and NGOs working in Sa’ada and Hajjah, people in need in these Governates are being provided with water, sanitation and hygiene support, health and nutrition assistance, shelter kits and cash to help address emergency food needs.We work with partners such as UN agencies and NGOs who have good access and a strong track record of delivering and monitoring assistance in difficult and dangerous places. The security situation across Yemen is, however, impacting the ability of humanitarian organisations to access populations to deliver assistance, and to make assessments of their needs. The UK continues to urge all parties to the conflict to take all reasonable steps to facilitate rapid and safe access for humanitarian agencies to all people in need in Yemen.UK aid is also supporting the UN to co-ordinate the international humanitarian response and to facilitate the delivery of aid across Yemen according to where needs are greatest including to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Humanitarian Air Service and the Verification and Inspection Mechanism.

Yemen: Malnutrition

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of increased malnutrition and starvation in Yemen.

Baroness Verma: The United Nations report that 14.4 million people in Yemen are facing food insecurity, of which 7.6 million are facing severe food shortages, as cited in the UN’s 2016 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan. The UK government uses this UN report as one if its primary data sources. A number of humanitarian organisations have recently highlighted the acute food security and livelihood needs in Yemen, and the fact that food insecurity is likely to continue at a critical level in the coming months.The security situation in Yemen is impacting the ability of humanitarian organisations to access populations to deliver assistance, and to make assessments of their needs. The UK continues to remind all parties to the conflict to take all reasonable steps to facilitate rapid and safe access for humanitarian agencies to all people in need in Yemen. This is essential to ensure that the international community has an accurate understanding of the levels of need in the country, including food insecurity.The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its humanitarian support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. We work through UN agencies and NGOs, including the World Food Programme who provide emergency food support to over 570,000 people, through direct delivery of food or the provision of cash or food vouchers. We have also provided £21.7 million in 2015/16 to UNICEF for the provision of health and nutrition services through hospitals and mobile clinics. We are also funding the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism to improve the supply of essential commercial goods, including food, into Yemen.

Department for Transport

Bats

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 11 May (HL8096), how many bat bridges over roads are (1) currently under construction, and (2) planned for construction; and what is the (a) location, and (b) budgeted cost, of each.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Highways England has no bat bridges currently on schemes under construction and none currently planned for schemes to be constructed.

Uber

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that Uber drivers in London and other cities hold genuine driving licences and valid insurance; what penalties are applied by the police and others to Uber drivers who fail to meet those requirements; and what measures are being taken to ensure that owners of Uber vehicles pay the same level of taxes as owners of black cabs and minicabs.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The licensing of private hire vehicles, operators and drivers is the responsibility of local licensing authorities, including Transport for London. The Department for Transport issues Best Practice Guidance to assist with this but it remains a licensing authority’s responsibility to enforce its licensing conditions. Driving without a valid driving licence or valid insurance are both offences, for which penalties, including fines and points on a licence, are ultimately a matter for the courts. Uber drivers have the same tax liability as any other self-employed person.

Shipping

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking (1) to reduce air pollution from shipping in and around UK ports, and the use of local electrical power by ships moored in those ports, and (2) to promote the use of clean fuel by ships as they approach UK ports, as is the practice in other countries including the US and China

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Through the National Policy Statement for Ports, the Government has encouraged ports and shipping companies to examine the opportunities available for shore-side electricity connection, particularly in areas identified as having poor air quality. The Government has implemented the international requirements which control emissions from ships. These require that ships in an emission control area (the North Sea, including the Channel) must either use fuel with a sulphur content which does not exceed 0.1% or use an equally effective alternative compliance method. Moreover, ships that are berthed for at least two hours are not allowed to use fuel with a sulphur content which exceeds 0.1%.

Air Pollution: Greater London

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to address the key findings of the 2013 report Analysing Air Pollution Exposure in London, and whether additional powers will be given to boroughs, particularly in deprived communities, to further reduce levels of NO2 emissions that are above the EU limit for 2020.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government’s National Air Quality Plan, published on 17 December 2015, sets out a comprehensive approach to improving UK air quality. A key measure of this is the introduction of new Clean Air Zones in five cities (Birmingham, Derby, Leeds, Nottingham and Southampton), along with the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London. The Plan will tackle the most polluting vehicles in air pollution hotspots and will enable us to reach compliance with legal limits as quickly as possible.The Mayor is responsible for air quality standards in London. The Mayor provides the framework and guidance which London boroughs use to review and improve air quality within their areas.

Railways: Exhaust Emissions

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many primary school sites in London exceeded EU limit values of NO2 due to diesel train emissions in each of the last five years.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We do not hold information on the number of primary schools sites in London exceeding NO2 limit values due to diesel train emissions.

Railways: Exhaust Emissions

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they have carried out into levels of NO2 emissions by diesel trains in urban areas, and whether they intend to apply similar control measures for diesel trains as have been agreed for road vehicles.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide we published in December 2015 sets out a comprehensive approach to improving the UK’s air quality, reducing health impacts, and fulfilling our legal obligations. The analysis undertaken for the plan took account of the emissions from rail travel as part of the assessment of emission sources. Whilst emissions from the rail sector are relatively low, the air quality plan set out that UK is committed to reducing them even further, along with some of the steps we are taking. For example, the Government has committed to a major rail electrification programme that will see a significant number of diesel trains progressively replaced with electric equivalents.

Air Pollution: Greater London

Lord Kinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they received from the former Mayor of London, Mr Johnson, about the 2013 conclusions of the Report on Air Pollution in London, which he commissioned but did not publish in full; when any such information was received; and what response they made, if any.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Mayor is responsible for air quality standards in London. The Mayor provides the framework and guidance which London boroughs use to review and improve air quality within their areas. Officials have found no evidence that information about the specific report referred to was shared with Government.

Aviation: Security

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 23 May (HL174), what steps they are taking in particular to ensure that all employees at British airports with access to aircraft are vetted to ensure that they do not hold Islamist fundamentalist views.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I would refer my noble friend to my Written Answer of 23 May (HL174) to his earlier question on this issue. Those staff undertaking aviation security duties are subject to additional security vetting following the minimum checks that must be completed. These arrangements, like our overall security regime, are kept under close review in light of all current threats. For security reasons, we would not comment on specific staff vetting arrangements.

Horse Riding

Lord De Mauley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of each of the issues raised in the response of the British Horse Society to their consultation on a draft cycling and walking investment strategy.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are now analysing the feedback received during the draft Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy eight week consultation period, which closed on Monday 23 May. We expect to publish the final Strategy this summer along with a Government response to the consultation.

Home Office

Deportation: Algeria

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission to refuse the Home Office the right to deport six individuals, allegedly linked to al-Qaeda, to Algeria; and what is their current assessment of the total cost implications of complying with that ruling without further appeal.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government is disappointed by the 18 April 2016 decision of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission which relates to cases dating back over ten years.There are no separately identifiable costs for complying with that ruling.

Islam

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have evaluated the possible risks to national security and social cohesion of the spread of the Wahhabi ideology.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: HM Governement’s Counter Extremism Strategy and Counter – Terrorism strategy, CONTEST, set out approach to tackling the full range of factors that allow extremist and terrorist groups to grow and flourish. These include directly challenging ideologies, including those which have a theological basis.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Tidal Power

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the future contribution of tidal lagoons to meeting the UK's energy requirements and decarbonisation targets.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Government recognises the potential that could exist in harnessing tidal energy around the coastline of the UK. That is why we have commissioned an independent strategic review to assess the case for tidal lagoons and consider whether they could represent value for money for the consumer. Charles Hendry will lead the independent review. The review is underway and the Government will carefully consider the recommendations from the review before making decisions on future development of tidal lagoons.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Glyphosate

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) view that three unpublished industry-sponsored carcinogenicity studies on mice played an important role in informing EFSA’s decision that the herbicide glyphosate is not carcinogenic to humans.

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House the three unpublished industry studies of the safety of the herbicide glyphosate relied upon by the European Food Safety Authority when it reached its decision that glyphosate is not carcinogenic to humans, namely the 2001 study owned by the Israeli pesticides company ADAMA Agan Ltd Carcinogenicity Study with Glyphosate technical in Swiss Albino Mice, the 2009 study owned by the Australian pesticides company Nufarm Glyphosate technical: Dietary Carcinogenicity Study in the Mouse, and the 1997 study owned by the Japanese pesticides company Arysta Life Sciences HR-001: 18 month Oral Oncogenicity Study in Mice.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The European Food Safety Authority concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard in humans. This conclusion followed a very thorough consideration of a wide range of scientific data, including a number of studies on laboratory animals.The mouse carcinogenicity studies were performed by independent testing laboratories and comply with the applicable OECD test guideline and Good Laboratory Practice. Carcinogenicity studies in mice are among the many EU data requirements for pesticides, and help to establish whether or not an active substance in a pesticide has carcinogenic potential.Under the regulatory system for pesticides, studies are not published because of the danger that data may be wrongly used to support other rival applications for authorisation. However, requests to view the documents can be submitted to the Health and Safety Executive’s Chemicals Regulation Directorate and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Slaughterhouses: Animal Welfare

Lord Trees: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to require all abattoirs to have CCTV recordings of the slaughter process in the interests of animal welfare, and to require storage of such recordings and access to them by third parties.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The primary responsibility for protecting animal welfare in slaughterhouses rests with business operators, who must have operating procedures in place to prevent animals suffering avoidable pain, suffering and distress. Business operators must also have appropriate monitoring procedures in place.The vast majority of animals are slaughtered in slaughterhouses which have CCTV present, so the Government is not currently persuaded of the case for introducing regulation which would require all abattoirs to have CCTV, but we are keeping the issue under review.In their report last year, the Farm Animal Welfare Committee recommended that CCTV should be retained, by the slaughterhouse, for a period of at least three months and the Government supports that recommendation. Official Veterinarians of the Food Standards Agency are present in all approved slaughterhouses to monitor and ensure operators comply with strict animal welfare regulations and have the power to seize CCTV footage if they suspect a breach of welfare standards.